Distance gas-lighter.



Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

F. L. RUMBLE.

DISTANCE GAS LIGHTER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 25, 1913.

WITNESSES:

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ATTORNEY.

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SYLVANIA GLOBE GAS LIGHT COMPANY,

CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A

DISTANCE GAS-LIGHTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

Application filed August 25, 1913. Serial No. 786,481.

it To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK L. RUMBLE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of. Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Distance Gas-Lighters, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to that class of distance lighters which operating in response to changes of gas pressure between high and low, automatically light the main burner and extinguish the pilot burner when the pressure is high and automatically extinguish the main burner and light the pilot burner when the pressure is low, all, of course, in. response to change of pressure which may be brought about at a central point and cause to operate distributed lights.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a distance lighter which shall be reliable and positive in operation under all weather conditions and which shall require practically no attention or cleaning and the operation of which is not interfered with by deposition of tarfrom the gas.

Stated in general terms the invention comprises a distance lighter consisting of the combination of a gas supply having relatively high and low gas pressure, a burner supply, a pilot supply, a fluid column valve responsive to gas pressure and adapted to establish the burner supply when the gas pressure is relatively high and to disestablish it when the gas pressure is relatively low, a valve responsive to gas pressure and adapted to establish the pilot supply when the gas pressure is low and to dises-' tablish it when the gas pressure is high, and a spring for timing the last named valve in respect to the first named valve, either all together or some of them separately and in combination with each other as is hereinafter pointed out in the claims.

The invention will be described in connection with the embodiment of it chosen from among other embodiments for illustration in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1, is a side View, principally in central section, illustrating a distance lighter embodying features of the invention and taken on the line 11 of Fig. 3. Fig.

2, is a front view, partly in section, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3, is a sectional v1e w taken on the'line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4, 1s, a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5, is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings a is a gas supply having relatively high and low pressure. It is shown to consist ofa pipe screwed into a body 5, Fig. 4:, which body is dividedby a partition 0.

d, is a burner supply and it is shown to conslst of a pipe screwed into the body I; on the side of the partition 0 opposite to the gas supply a. f

e, is a pilot supply shown to consist of a pipe or tube. a

f, is a fluid column valvehaving a tell-tale filling screw f As shown it consists of a U-tube g, containing mercury and the arms of thls tubeare connected .with the body 1). One arm extends through. the body and is provided with a cap past which access is afi'orded'to the atmosphere through openings as which permit of the exit and ingress of air as the mercury rises and falls in the tube 9 tends up into the body I) and isclosed at its top, Fig. 2. There is apassage g from the gas supply a to the upper end of the arm 9 so that the surface of the mercury column in the tube 9 is exposed to the gas in the supply a and consequently is subjected to the varying gas pressure. From the tube and in communication therewith there is a branch channel or passage 9 within which the mercury rises under low pressure conditions in the supply a and which leads through the body I) and discharges beneath the partition 0 into the burner supply 0?. The bore of the passage 9 is enlarged as at g to form a chamber or expansion tank or space for preventing mercury from being accidentally, as in the case of a very sudden high pressure, blown over toward the burner supply. '7 p When the top of the mercury column in the arm 9 of the tube is under low pressure it seals off the passage of the channel 9 at and near the point where it joins the arm 9 and thus prevents the passage of gas from a to (Z. When the pressure on the top of the column of mercury in the arm 9 increases, itslevel in that arm falls below the' point where the passage 9* and arm 9 communi- The arm 9 of the tube g ex-.

cat-e, so that gas can reach from a to cl. At the same time the level of the mercury in the arm 9 rises, expelling air through the vents When the pressure in the supply a again falls, the mercury column occupies the position first described and air enters at g".

The valve responsive to pressure is shown to comprise a closed casing h, which may be conveniently secured to the side of the body I) as by a strap a. At the top of this casing it, there is a valve seat h, shown as formed by counter-sinking a cap 72?. This casing has communication at or near its top with the pilot supply 6. The bottom part of the casing contains an appropriate fluid as mercury h Extending up toward the top of the casing there is an open ended tube h and the lower end of this tube is connected by a tube 7L5 and a passage h with the gas supply a. In consequence of this gas is continuously supplied to the tube h Mounted over the tube h is a bell b the skirt of which dips into the mercury h so that the bell rises and falls in response to changes of gas pressure in the gas supply a. At its top the bell is provided with a plug or needle it having an opening h through it and adapted to cooperate with the valve seat h in such a way that when the bell rises and forces the plug into the valve seat the opening 71 is closed against the passage of gas and when the bell falls, the passage h is opened and gas escapes from it and reaches the interior of the casing h and from that casing the pilot supply 6.

7a, is a spring interposed between the cap k and the top of the bell. The purpose of this spring will be described. Prior to increase in pressure upon the supply a the bell 7L7 is down, the pilot light is burning and the main burner is extinguished. When an increase of pressure in the supply pipe at occurs it forces the column of mercury down in the tube g and thus supplies gas to the main burner. This increase of pressure, of course, is present inside of the bell which it tends to raise, but the spring 70 retards the rise of the bell momentarily so that this increase of pressure is also present in the tube 6 and causes the pilot light to m0- mentarily flash, or go up, as it is called, thus insuring lighting ofthe main burner, thereupon the resistance of the spring 70 is over-- come and the supply to the pilot light sealed off at h The condition of afiairs last described corresponds to the lighting of the lights or main burners as at night time, by increasing the pressure in the gas supply at a central or convenient point. Upon decrease of pressure in the supply a, the mercury column in the arm g rises and seals off the supply of gas to the main burner. At the same time the pressure in the bell falls off so that it falls, opening the supply of gas at 71 to the pilot burner and the spring 70 hastens the falling movement of the bell so that a supply of gas to the pilot burner is insured before the supply of gas to the main burner is out 0E and in this way the pilot burner is relighted. The spring 70 thus serves to time the movement of the valve that controls the pilot supply in respect to the opening and closing of the burner supply. The condition of affairs last mentioned corresponds with the extinguishment of the main burners and the lighting of the pilot burners from some central or conveniently located point at which the pressure in the gas supply is changed.

It is evident that modifications may be made in details of construction and arrange ment and that certain features of the device, for example those which control the pilot light may be omitted, but in that case the pilot light would burn all the time, hence the invention is not limited in regard to those matters nor in any way other than the prior state of the art may require, but

What I claim is:

1. A distance lighter comprising the com bination of a gas supply having relatively high and low gas pressure a burner supply, a pilot supply, a fluid column valve respon' sive to gas pressure and adapted to establish the burner supply when the gas pressure is relatively high and to dis-establish it when the gas pressure is relatively low, a valve responsive to gas pressure and adapted to establish the pilot supply when the gas pressure is low and to dis-establish it when the gas pressure is high, and a spring for timing the last mentioned valve in respect to the first mentioned valve.

2. A distance lighter comprising the combination of a gas supply having relatively high and low gas pressure, a burner supply, a pilot supply, a fluid column valve responsive to gas pressure and adapted to establish the burner supply when the gas pressure is relatively high and to dis-establish it when the gas pressure is relatively low, and a valve independently responsive to gas pressure and adapted to establish the pilot supply when the gas pressure is low and to dis-establish it when the gas pressure is high whereby the relative operation of the lights may be timed.

3. A distance lighter comprising the combination of a gas supply, a burner supply, a pilot supply, a channel communicating with the gas and burner supplies, a U tube containing mercury and of which one arm communicates with said channel so that the mercury may seal and unseal the same in response to gas pressure and the other arm of which permits the mercury to rise and fall, a channel between the gas and pilot supplies, and a bell arranged in the last a bell valve for the pilot light supply, and arranged channel and provided with a tua variable pressure gas supply to which each bular valve for opening and closing the of said valves is independently responsive. 10

same in response to gas pressure. FRANK L. RUMBLE. 5 4. A distance lighter comprising the com- Witnesses:

bination of burner and pilot light supplies, CLIFFORD K. CAssEL,

a fluid column valve for the burner supply, FRANK E. FRENCH.

flopiel oi this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G." 

